Parliamentary
Roundtable - reaffirm Malaysia is a secular state with Islam as the official
religion and not an Islamic State

________________Media Statementby Lim Kit Siang
___________________

(Parliament,
Friday):A Parliamentary Roundtable to reaffirm the
Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a secular
state with Islam as the official religion and not an Islamic State will be
held in Parliament on Friday, August 10, 2007 at 10 am.

All political
parties, professional and civic organizations, NGOs and NGIs are invited to
the parliamentary roundtable to give special meaning and significance to the
50th Merdeka anniversary celebrations.

For over four
decades in the history of nation, there had been no doubt or question
whatsoever, whether in Parliament, Cabinet, government or outside about the
secular basis of Malaysia as spelt out by the Merdeka social contract
reached by the forefathers of the major communities on the attainment of
independence in 1957 and the Malaysia Agreement which brought Sabah and
Sarawak into the federation in 1963.

That fundamental
nation-building cornerstone of Malaysia conceived as a secular state with
Islam as the official religion, is not only to be found in the
constitutional documents and the highest judicial pronouncements of the
land, it also represented the life-work and commitment of the first three
Prime Ministers, Tunku Abdul Rahman, Tun Razak and Tun Hussein.

However, in the
past few years, the secular basis of Malaysian nation-building has come
under repeated challenge.

On the occasion of
the 50th Merdeka anniversary, the time has come for all Malaysians to
reclaim their national legacy and heritage by reaffirming the Merdeka social
contract and Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is a secular state with Islam
as the official religion and not an Islamic State.

Or have the
fundamental basis of Malaysian nation-building suffered such a serious
erosion that we cannot find sufficient Malaysians, whether NGOs or NGIs, to
reaffirm the Merdeka social contract and Malaysia Agreement that Malaysia is
a secular state with Islam as the official religion and not an Islamic
State.